Ethan Meredith, a local Eagle Scout candidate is building a 40-foot, light-blocking security gate for Camp Cullom’s entrance as his capstone project and received strong financial support after outlining the plan to the Frankfort Rotary Club February 19th.
New gate to protect Camp Cullom
The Scout told Rotarians he plans to construct a heavy-duty sliding gate using galvanized pipe, similar to chain-link fence material, mounted on rollers at the top and bottom of a pair of telephone poles. “We have a V-roller design, so it’ll hold it like an X in between a set of four rollers, and it will be about 13 feet in the rollers, 27 out over the actual roadway at a time,” he explained, noting “it’s going to be a pretty big gate, about 40 feet long in total.” The gate will stand about eight feet tall so Camp Cullom’s manager, known to many as Hoppy, can hang tarps from it to block vehicle headlights during stargazing events at the Prairie Grass Observatory between Frankfort and Mulberry.
Meredith said the current entrance gate does little to shield the observatory from oncoming headlights, which can interfere with telescope views during Camp Cullom’s regular public star nights and special programs. “This gate’s going to be eight feet tall and the camp will hang tarps from it to help block light as well,” he said. “It’s a general gate that’s just going to help all sorts of stuff – keep the camp secure, block light for his viewings.”
Fundraising push at Rotary meeting
While speaking at the Frankfort Rotary Club meeting at Arborwood, Ethan said he has been working on the design and materials for several months and hopes to begin construction in mid February. “As of right now, I’m looking at starting building this weekend, actually, so very soon,” he said. “I’ve made most of my funding, and I’ve got most of my materials and most of things assembled.” The project has since been started and is near the finishing line with only installation of hardware items and finishing materials, according to Camp Ranger Hoppy Bray at publishing time.
Meredith told club members he came to Rotary seeking a final boost to cover project-day basics for his troop. “I need about $200 more for the project,” he said. “I’m really at the stage now where I need that final push to make it through, to pay for food, drinks, and things like safety glasses and gloves on site so my scouts, you know, my troop, they’re safe and well fed while we’re working on it.”
Rotary members quickly began passing a hat around the room and informally competing by table to help him meet – and potentially exceed – that goal, with any extra funds to be donated directly to Camp Cullom. Meredith walked away with all he needed to complete the project.
Design focuses on ease of use and security
The new gate is being designed to open smoothly enough that Camp Ranger Bray and volunteers can operate it with minimal effort. “Our goal right now is to make it smooth enough to where with one hand you can just give it a shove and she’ll close,” the Scout said. If that does not work as planned, he has researched “an automatic handle system where you’ll just turn it and it will open and close and that’s all you’ve got to worry about.”
He said that ease of operation is especially important for Hoppy, who opens the gate in the morning and closes it at night when the camp is shut down. “As I’m sure y’all know, Hoppy’s kind of getting up there in age and I don’t want him to fight a heavy old gate 24/7 to get it closed,” he said. Beyond protecting dark skies for the observatory, the Scout noted the gate is intended to deter theft of tools and equipment and improve the overall appearance of the camp entrance. “This gate will hopefully help deter that and it will look better” he said.
Eagle Scout journey behind the project
When asked about his Scouting background, the speaker told Rotarians he first joined as a Cub Scout in fourth grade after a friend encouraged him to try it. “A good friend of mine, Owen McGill, was always talking about it,” he recalled. “I was like, ‘Man, that sounds like a good time. Get me in there.’ And here I am now.”
He said he decided in about eighth grade to pursue the Eagle rank after realizing he was only two ranks away. “Up until that point, I didn’t think I could have gotten my Eagle, and then about eighth grade rolled around, and I was like, ‘I’m two ranks off of my Eagle right now,’” he said. “That’s a stone’s throw away, and I decided I was going to complete it right about then, and I’ve been working towards it ever since then.” Over the years he has logged an estimated 50 to 60 service hours, helped other Eagle candidates with their projects, attended week-long summer camps, and served as Senior Patrol Leader of his troop multiple times, comparing the position to a club president who organizes campouts and coordinates with adult leaders.
Eagle Candidate Meredith also shared that he has participated in at least one Boy Scouts of America High Adventure experience at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia and had hoped to attend Northern Tier in Minnesota, though funding did not work out that year. High Adventure treks, he explained, can involve intensive backpacking and extended time in the backcountry, skills that translate into planning and executing complex service projects like the Camp Cullom gate.
Construction timeline and volunteer labor
If all goes as planned and weather cooperates, the Scout expects to assemble the gate in a single day with help from about 10 fellow Scouts, then return to hang and align it. “As of right now if I get my whole troop out there like I’m hoping, it should only take about six to seven [hours] to get it assembled and another five or six to hang it and have everything organized,” he said.
Factoring in the number of youth and adults expected, he estimated the project will generate roughly 100 to 120 man-hours of volunteer labor. Camp property manager Hoppy is also contributing by providing his tractor and auger on site to help dig post holes. “Hoppy has helped me a ton,” the Scout said. “He’s providing his tractor and his auger on the day of onsite to help me dig holes.” The Scout said he asked Hoppy for a list of needs around camp and chose the gate project, adding that the longtime caretaker “has been a monumental help in all of this.”